Favorite Nature Spots

About 14 months ago, I had the idea of sharing favorite nature spots among readers of This Green Life using Google Maps as the vehicle. This nature map has received some 300 odd contributions and is still going strong today. It includes recommendations of many amazing places I’d never even heard of.

Finding them isn’t always easy. Google, as fabulous as it can be in some respects (not least for making it possible to create your own maps for free), provides no way for me to organize the list of spots down the side, which means viewers just have to hunt and peck to find places that speak to them.

So I decided to advertise a few interesting places in my June NRDC column, “Vacation Ideas for Nature Lovers.” They are not so much the best of the lot (though they are wonderful) as they are a representative sampling. At the same time, there are some parts of the world left glaringly out. All of Canada, for instance, and Hawaii. But space was limited and I thought it was important to highlight a few less obvious sites.

Spyhopping gray whale at Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California, Mexico

Please consult the map to see the full range of recommendations — and add your own. (See instructions below in the right column.) People all over the world see the pop-ups when they search on the place names. So get your best-loved places out there — and include pictures if you can.

You are also welcome to comment here on your favorite nature spots.

My own all-time favorite is Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California where gray whales congregate in winter to mate and give birth. Read my kiss and tell story from my visit there in 2006.

One Response to Favorite Nature Spots

I'm glad you included the Bosque del Apache NWR, but going this time of year is a mistake. A visitor will mostly see ponds empty of birds or drained fields. Most of the birds are up in Idaho or Alberta making babies. The time to visit is mid-December through March. Besides, that is a great time not to be in the northern part of the country.

Joe

ABOUT

A green living columnist for environmental organizations in her spare time, Sheryl Eisenberg wrote This Green Life for NRDC from 2004-2014 and previously wrote Greentips for the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her "real" life, she designs websites with her firm Mixit Creative for environmental groups and other non-profits and small businesses.